Childcare Workers · SOC 39-9011

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Childcare Workerss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for childcare workers. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 385 metro areas

Childcare Workers: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	$47,300	1,530	4.5
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$45,720	3,090	2.7
3	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$44,540	8,260	3.5
4	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$44,320	7,870	4.9
5	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$43,710	2,520	1.2
6	Barnstable Town, MA	$43,480	270	2.9
7	Boulder, CO	$43,380	1,060	5.5
8	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$42,860	370	3.0
9	Longview-Kelso, WA	$42,300	30	0.8
10	Modesto, CA	$41,920	660	3.4
11	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$41,590	10,440	3.9
12	Napa, CA	$41,570	170	2.2
13	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$41,260	620	3.0
14	Amherst Town-Northampton, MA	$40,560	240	3.7
15	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$40,210	5,110	3.0
16	Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	$40,150	60	1.0
17	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$40,010	810	2.8
18	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$39,890	16,530	2.6
19	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$39,800	4,420	2.9
20	Flagstaff, AZ	$39,640	150	2.3
21	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$39,590	3,020	2.5
22	Salinas, CA	$39,520	530	2.8
23	Worcester, MA	$39,300	1,230	3.5
24	Vallejo, CA	$38,850	570	3.9
25	Bellingham, WA	$38,820	130	1.4

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Childcare Workers overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.